One of the most important holidays in the year is next Monday. Yes, Labor Day is just around the corner. Only four more shopping days, just so you know.
According to the Department of Labor's website, "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."
Nebraska was actually one of the first states to adopt legislation creating Labor Day. The first was Oregon in 1887. In 1894, Congress passed its legislation creating Labor Day on a national scale.
I guess we need to take the day and think about the people who came before us in our chosen fields and thank them for their work. So, thanks to the people who first decided to write down words in some semblance of order, preserving history in another, more permanent, format. And thanks to the scribes, who made copy after copy before photocopiers were invented. Thanks to the people who invented moveable type, allowing mass production of the written word. And thanks to those who invented the typewriter, then the linotype, then computers and all the word processing and desktop publishing programs that allow those of us in the print news world to work more quickly and still disseminate accurate information.
My goal is to not have to work on Monday. Our office will be closed, which is good, but if there are still stories to put on my sports pages, I'll be at my desk, hard at work. My plan is to have everything done by Sunday night, and then I won't have to be in the office Monday. That would be a fantastic way to celebrate.
So, from one working stiff (and some days that's more literal than I care to admit) to the rest of you, Happy Labor Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment